Thunder Bay park makeover featured on TV

Volunteer Children work to redesign Picton Park, and their work will be featured on a TV program.

Thunder Bay's Picton Park is getting a full makeover, and the process will be taped for an upcoming program on TV Ontario.

Six children from the Picton Park area have volunteered to lead the park's makeover, and they have been working on it since Thursday. The redesigned park will open on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Meanwhile the whole procedure is being taped by a crew from the TVO program Giver, which brings community members together to do various park makeovers.

In this case, Picton Park was chosen from 200 applicants.

"This is a great community engagement project, and a wonderful opportunity to get neighbourhood residents involved creating a wonderful gathering space," said Werner Schwar, the city's park-planning co-ordinator.

"This project will really help citizens take ownership of their neighbourhood," said Mayor Keith Hobbs.

The producers of the program, Sinking Ship Entertainment, are looking for adult volunteers to help out with the project.

"Personally what I get out of doing this is the feeling you get when you have the grand opening," said Kristen McGregor, the program's producer. "The kids cut the ribbon and they run into the park and you just see so many kids, being so happy."